Genetics count for a lot when it comes to longevity—but don’t discount the power of healthy habits. Studies show a healthy lifestyle could offset the negative impact of life-shortening genes by 62%. “This new research shows that, despite genetic factors, living a healthy lifestyle, including eating a balanced nutritious diet and keeping active, can help us live longer,” Matt Lambert, health information and promotion manager at the World Cancer Research Fund, tells The Guardian . Here’s what 12 100-year-olds eat and what they avoid.
RELATED: 112-Year-Old Woman Reveals What She Eats Every Day for Longevity (And What She Doesn't Eat)
Deborah Follows a Mostly Plant-Based Diet
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Deborah Szekely is 102 and follows a mostly plant-based diet. She enjoys fish occasionally but no red meat. “I’m a pescatarian. And I actually have been fortunate of never eating meat because of my parents,” she told CNBC Make It .
Elizabeth Avoided Alcohol and Stays Active
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Elizabeth Francis is the oldest person in the U.S. at 115 years old. “It’s just amazing,” granddaughter Ethel Harrison, 68, told TODAY . “She tried to do things to stay healthy. Her life was basically pretty simple. She didn’t go out to parties and stuff like that. She was more of a homebody. She would go to church.” Harrison says Francis never smoked, drank alcohol, and was walking her dog into her 90s.
Lenora Swears by the Mediterranean Diet and Olive Oil
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Lenora, 102, says the Mediterranean diet is the secret to a long life. “People ask me what do I attribute my longevity to. In the first place I say I owe it all to God. God’s been good to me,” she told Northwell Health . “And I say olive oil because I eat a Mediterranean diet and I have always eaten a Mediterranean diet being from Italian background. And I have some neighbors that don’t ever eat a vegetable but I eat my green vegetables and I eat raw vegetables and salads.”
Shirley Loves Avoiding Sugar and Drinks Skim Milk
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Shirley Hodes, 106, avoids sugar and drinks skim milk. “I did like to eat a simple, balanced diet without too much sweets,” Hodes told Make It .
Shitsui Swears By Drinking Homemade Tea
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Shitsui Hakoishi, 107, is a barber who wants to keep working until she is 109. Hakoishi drinks home-made tea made out of dried Japanese ginger, dayflowers and thistle. She enjoys three cups with every meal. “My job is my passion,” she told The Washington Post . “Every day is a blessing.”
RELATED: Grandmother Who Reversed Aging Shares Her Longevity Diet and Supplements .
Bikram Eats Five Fruits and Five Vegetables Daily
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Bikram Singh Grewal, 100, eats five fruits and five vegetables every day. “I believe it is a combination of a good diet, exercise and a fixed sleep schedule that can help anyone in reaching the age of 100,” he told The Washington Post.
Yoshiko Says Noodles Are Key
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Yoshiko Miwa, 110, eats noodles every day. "When I was in the children’s home, the cook used to make noodles and I used to love them,” she told TODAY . “Today, I like spaghetti, udon, ramen, soba and any other kind of noodles.”
Dorothy Drinks a Glass of Champagne Every Day
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Dorothy Flowers, 108, drinks a glass of champagne every day. “Dorothy loves company, so she’ll sit with us at the reception desk each day,” Helene Ballinger, manager of Flowers’ care home, tells The Independent . “She’s such a regular that she’s got her own drawer, which we keep full of chocolate buttons. Her real secret for longevity, though, has to be champagne. It’s the only thing we ever see her finish a glass of.”
Jack Enjoys Dark Chocolate and Honey
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Jack Van Nordheim, 100, eats dark chocolate and honey. He doesn’t eat fast food and enjoys home-cooked food such as chicken and noodles. "I drank a little beer and a little wine, and that's all. No fire water," he told Insider .
Edith Loves Her Bourbon, Water, and Cheetos
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Edith Atkinson Wylie, 106, has a more unusual approach to longevity. “Good genes and perhaps bourbon, water, and Cheetos while watching 5 o’clock news,” she told the Great Falls Tribune .
Andy Swears by a Vodka Martini a Day
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Andy Medema lived to 101 by following some very simple rules. “A vodka martini a day, no cigarettes and hard work,” he said .
Dark Chocolate and Vegetables from Her Garden
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Eunice Modlin, 102, eats vegetables from her garden and never smoked or drank alcohol. “She eats two pieces of dark chocolate every day,” granddaughter Tammy Modlin Gentry told TODAY . “She’s always limited herself to two pieces so she didn’t [gain weight].”
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